Load banks are used to test new data center installations or upgrades and have two primary objectives. One objective is to test the power infrastructure in a building to insure that it is able to reliably provide power to the server racks of the data center in both normal and emergency power conditions. The second objective is to test and optimize the heating, cooling and ventilation (HVAC) system within the data center to insure that it is capable of cooling all of the heat generating equipment in the server racks and that the HVAC system has been sufficiently optimized to reduce operating costs. The present invention relates to a load bank assembly that can be configured to provide versatility for testing various power sources and includes an innovative cooling system for the assembly.
Traditionally a load bank puts a specific power draw on the power source to simulate a computer operating in a server rack. Just as a computer generates heat, a load bank generates heat as well. The heat is evacuated from the load bank using one or more fans that draw cool air in from a cold aisle and discharges hot air into a hot aisle. During the testing of a data center, many load banks are installed and utilized to conduct the testing. Each load bank is subject to its own operating condition and some load banks may not be operating at all. In load bank assemblies available on the market today, any load banks not being used are turned off while the other units continue to operate and generate heat. The desired result is that all heat exhausted into the hot aisle is routed to the HVAC system. However, some of the air recirculates through any load banks not presently turned on and returns to the cold aisle. This invalidates the test and is thus undesirable. In an effort to solve the problem, makeshift baffles such as a piece of cardboard or a thin sheet of metal are used to physically block the intake of any load banks not in use. This process introduces manual error and is time consuming. It could also pose a safety threat if a load bank is returned to service and the baffle is not removed.